Trump’s former accounting firm begins turning over documents to Congress
Mazars USA, the longtime accounting firm for former President Donald Trump that cut ties with him and his family business this year, has begun turning over documents related to his financial dealings to Congress. After a yearslong legal fight, the House Oversight Committee has received a first trove of documents from the firm, which recently entered into a legal settlement agreeing to produce financial documents from several years before Trump took office and during his early presidency. Mazars said in February it could no longer stand behind a decade of annual financial statements it had prepared for the Trump Organization. More tranches of documents are expected to follow.
Virginia governor seeks new transgender student policies
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration has rewritten Virginia’s model policies for the treatment of transgender students in public schools. A document released Friday contains guidance for school districts that would roll back some accommodations and tighten parental notification requirements. The new policies will be subject to a public comment period. The Department of Education says local school divisions then must adopt policies consistent with the new guidance. Conservatives welcomed the changes, saying they would preserve parental rights. Democrats criticized them, saying they would harm vulnerable children. The revisions mark a sharp departure to guidance that was first issued during Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration.
Weapons-grade plutonium secretly sent to Nevada removed
Weapons-grade plutonium that secretly was sent to Nevada over objections from the state has been removed ahead of schedule. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto says she received word Friday that the material has been removed. The work had been expected to wrap up by the end of 2026. Nevada had objected to a plan under former President Donald Trump’s administration to ship plutonium to Nevada. The U.S. Department of Energy shipped a half metric ton of the material to a site north of Las Vegas but kept it secret for national security reasons. The federal government ultimately agreed to remove it. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that it’s now at a site in New Mexico.
Puerto Rico girds for possible hurricane as TS Fiona nears
Tropical Storm Fiona is heading for Puerto Rico and forecasters are warning it likely will grow into a hurricane before hitting on Sunday with extremely heavy rains. They say the level of rain expected has the potential to cause landslides, severe flooding and power outages. The storm was centered 70 miles (115 kilometers) south of St. Croix late Saturday afternoon, moving west at 9 miles (15 kilometers). Forecasters say Fiona could become a hurricane before reaching Puerto Rico’s southern coast. It is on a predicted path to pass near or over the island Sunday night.
Pelosi, other US lawmakers visit Armenia as cease-fire holds
A U.S. congressional delegation headed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Armenia. The group landed Saturday amid a cease-fire that has held for three days. Earlier this week, an outburst of fighting with neighboring Azerbaijan killed more than 200 troops from both sides. The U.S. Embassy said the trip will include a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Pelosi told reporters in Berlin that the visit “is all about human rights and the respecting the dignity and worth of every person.” Others on the visit included Rep. Frank Pallone, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo.
For Russia’s Putin, military and diplomatic pressures mount
Pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin has mounted on the battlefield and in the halls of global power. Analysts say Ukrainian troops have pushed their counteroffensive to advance farther into the country’s northeast after recapturing some strategic areas this month. At a high-level summit in Uzbekistan, Putin vowed to press his attack on Ukraine despite recent military setbacks. Still, the Russian leader had to address concerns over the drawn-out conflict voiced by India and China. Western defense officials said Saturday that Russian forces appear to be setting up a new defensive line in northeastern Ukraine after Kyiv’s troops broke through the previous one.
— New York Times and Associated Press